Neotropical Rainforest Mammals Talk

By Liz Shaw, RN April September 2005

Structure:

1) Introduction 2) Seeing mammals here 3) What might you see? 4) How tropical mammals differ from temperate ones 5) Overview of species and their adaptations 6) Conclusions

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------1) Introduction
Going to talk about rainforest mammals (focusing on sp found here in the neotropics)... - probably are amongst species most visitors want to & expect to see - but can also be hardest to see Going to talk about - unique features of rainforest mammals - ways to see them - what sort of species are found here, & their adaptations to forest life - finish with comments about their status and conservation

What is a mammal? warm-blooded, usually have fur, live young that suckle on milk. 431 species in Peru

2) Seeing mammals here

(As said) most people want to see them, but [mayve noticed] can be harder than most people expect much more likely to see birds or insects WHY? - many predators; cant fly away like birds, so adapted to avoid them most nocturnal, very secretive, and often wary of humans (especially where hunted) - can easily detect you first and move away (good senses) - 40% mammals here are bats! - tropics have more species than temperate areas, but total number of mammal species worldwie is in fact relatively low (eg, 4630 sp versus birds, countless insects)

9040

But, with some patience and luck is possible to see them (or at least signs of them) and do have good chance of seeing the more conspicuous, diurnal species like monkeys, capybaras How best to see mammals here? Detect other ways sight tracks, signs of feeding, scats, trails in undergrowth smell eg, peccaries; also scats and scent-marking

 sound eg, monkeys calling / moving through trees, alarm calls, animals running away, noises of peccaries or eg of animals eating If really want to see them - wait quietly at a likely spot (mammal collpa, watering hole, fruiting tree) - walk quietly, swiftly at dawn or dusk (most active) - search for eye-shine at night, possibly along rivers / lakes (and possibly use red light) - (NB, sometimes cross trails after people have passed 2nd group passing may see them)

Finally LUCK!

3) What might you see?

As said before, 40% are bats (can be hard to identify) Many are also rodents most frequently seen group after monkeys After that, are carnivores (including jaguar, otters), peccaries (wild pigs) & deer, sloths, armadillos and anteaters, and a few marsupials (from when S. America was joined to Australia, up to 120 mya) Fauna here in S. America is the way it is largely due to an event called the Great American Interchange: o 120mya (age of dinosaurs), S.Am was joined to Africa, Australia, India Gondwanaland ancestors of the rodents, monkeys, opossums etc were here o Split away 120mya and was island for 80m years evolved some unique animals because of its isolation - glyptodont (giant armadillo); giant ground sloth; liptoderns (like horses); marsupial sabre-toothed tiger; also, terror birds (3m high, flightless predators) o 2.5mya, Panamanian land bridge joined S. and N. America (uplift of Andes, fall of sea level) o Species crossed between the continents (eg, deer, cats, tapirs, rabbits etc from N.Am) o But, fauna of S.Am changed more now nearly half the genera here originate from N.Am, whereas only armadillos and opossums from the south still survive in North o Not necessarily replaced- many species were declining before but, some outcompeted (eg, sabre cat replaced marsupial one); arrival of humans also coincided with many extinctions (eg, giant ground sloth). After this ice age, forests retreated isolated pockets (refuges) sp evolved separately gave higher species diversity when rejoined (High sp diversity here also due to being habitat crossroads eg, foxes from Pampas) So, mammal fauna of S.Am. is now a mixture of unique species and those that are more familiar to us

4) How do tropical mammals differ from temperate ones?

a) Different environmental stresses - no seasonal extremes but may face low food in long dry season - cant hibernate (predators, ants, parasits, requires too many energy stores) - so, must be active year-round so, may change food types seasonally b) Many species eat fruit - even carnivores like puma, jaguar, otter - (abundant, year-round, easy to digest) - so, many species are important seed dispersers c) Species composition differs - some species almost exclusively tropical (eg, primates) - few species like rabbits, social rodents, bears - rich, resource-filled canopy = many arboreal species, adapted to life in the trees - fewer ground species (lower light, less undergrowth, fewer resources) so. No big herds of grazers or browsers... d) Species can differ too - eg, temperate bats eat mainly insects; here also fruit, nectar, fish, frogs, + blood!

5) Overview of species and their adaptations a) Life in the trees Many sp have a prehensile tail, like a 5th limb helps them cling to and climb round in

the branches Unique to neotropical mammals eg, monkeys, porcupines, anteaters, kinkajou (only carnivore with prehensile tail) Many also have forward-facing eyes for binocular vision, judging distances Best examples: PRIMATES: - probably something most visitors want to see good chance of seeing as diurnal, noisy, conspicuous - 21 sp in Peru, 7 in Tambopata (tiny pichicos, intelligent capuchins, lazy howlers) - NW primates generally, short muzzles, flat unfurred faces, short necks, long limbs and long, often prehensile tail - 2 groups: marmosets/tamarins and `typical` monkeys - important seed dispersers, eat plant pests (insects), and are noisy foragers, followed by many other species who eat flushed-out insects or dropped fruit Many other species (eg, cats, tayra, many rodents) also partly or largely arboreal

b) Edentata Another sp with different adaptations to an arboreal lifestyle = sloth Member of an ancient group, unique to S.Am. (though one member ranges into N.Am., the Edentata means `without teeth`, though most do have teeth Specialised to eat ants, termites or leaves SLOTHS - probably one of the most abundant larger neotropical forest mammals

feed on leaves hard to digest, low nutrition = low metabolic rates, live very slow lives. Can even lower body temperature at night to save energy. Unlike primates, no prehensile tail. Live life hanging upsidedown from long, curved claws Long, stiff hair grows opposite way to most mammals, to shed rain, and has grooves in which grow algae camouflage! Good swimmers but are otherwise almost exclusively arboreal cant walk well on ground and only come down once a week to go to the toilet! Support whole communities on their body several beetle and moth species live in their fur, they even have a specialized dung beetle Almost impossible for them to let go of branches if killed, dont drop!

Others in group

- armadillos armour-plated ground-dwellers, includes the Giant armadillo at 1.5m long. Range into N.Am. (All young identical, from same egg) - anteaters 3 sp here (giant, tamandua, pygmy/silky) - highly specialized to eat ants & termites long, sharp claws, long snouts, long sticky tongues (2ft in giant!) - ants not highly nutritious, so have low metabolic rates and are quite slow, though can be dangerous if threatened

c) Another old group = opossums Marsupials (care for young in pouch) 25 sp in Peru diverse group, fill many habitats and niches Resemble rates, but many have prehensile tail, and hind feet have an opposable thumb Most are nocturnal omnivores adaptable, successful have reputations for trying to eat anything Some apparently immune to snake venom Water Opossum can close its pouch to stop young drowning d) Rodents Superficially quite similar to opossums Worldwide, 44% of mammal sp (more individuals alive at one time than all other mammals combined) 90 sp in Peru Have 4 large incisor teeth, like chisels, for gnawing Importance huge abundance big part of diet of many carnivores - important seed and fruit predators - also disperse many seeds - burrowing activity of so many individuals turns over and aerates soil, helps plants grow Many small, secretive, nocturnal But here we also have the worlds largest rodents:

capybaras not hard to spot along river; 65kg (140lb); cavimorphs (gineau-pig family); live in groups by water, dive in to escape danger; good swimmers webbed feet, eye, ears and nose on top of head so can lie in water but still see/hear/see.

Also, agoutis and pacas also quite large, like small furry pigs. Can sit on hind legs and hold food in front paws like squirrels. Paca considered tasty, often hunted. Agouti helps plant brazil nut trees. Have honeycombed skulls Group also includes squirrels, tree porcupines, and the loud Amazon Bamboo rat (59 grunts heard once; large, 65cm/2ft).

e) Tapir Another sp that, like the capybara, is adapted to live in the many rivers, streams and swamps of the rainforest Found also in Asia 1 sp here, resemble large pigs / hippos, but related to horses and rhinos Largest terrestrial mammal in Peru (300kg / 660lb) Live by water - good swimmers - elongated snout with prehensile upper lip, to grasp vegetation, leaves, fallen fruits. Often only the snout protrudes above water, like a snorkel - like capybara, eyes, ears and nose on top of head f) Other ungulates (hoofed mammals) Related to tapir 2 deer species and 2 peccary species Peccaries can live in big herds, root around forest floor for roots, stems, bulbs - can often detect them by their sweaty smell (gland on back for scent-marking) g) Carnivores (what eats all these animals?) Includes the cats, dogs, raccoons and mustelids (weasels) All designed to kill and eat meat, though many here also eat fruit and other plant material Tend to occur in low numbers (top of food chain), and are secretive, so hard to see though often see cat tracks 2 dog species here endangered and little known Sometimes fox sp may come in from Bolivia (Pampas) Mustelids includes giant otter and tayra Raccoon family includes coati and kinkajou Cats - another group many people want to see need to be very lucky! - 6 sp in Pery, all very rare - Mainly nocturnal; some spend most of life in trees; most solitary - Range from Oncilla (size of house cat) to the largest NW cat, the jaguar - Puma one of largest ranges of any mammal.. - Rarely attack people humans the bigger threat all are endangered or threatened

Jaguar/pumas eat peccary, deer, birds, lizards, even caimans

h) Finally, the most speciose group here, the bats Often feared by people (unfounded) Not hard to see at night but hard to identify Diverse group (nearly 170 of Perus 431 mammals are bats); fill many niches (insects, fruit, nectar and pollen, vertebrates, blood) + have various feeding techniques The only true flying mammals flight = high energy demands, have relatively high heart rates, low body weight, high metabolism (Nocturnal, use echolocation most wont fly in bright moonlight, to avoid predators) Most are social, roost and often forage in groups. Some will even share food with unrelated individuals very rare in the animal world Importance to forest plant pollinators, seed dispersers, pest-eaters Egs: - Long-nosed bats (often seen roosting on trees/logs round lake; eat insects) - Greater Fishing bat (quite large, scoops up fish from water using long hind legs and catlike claws) False Vampire bat (largest NW bat, 80cm wingspan; eats birds, rodents, other bats, often its own size! fierce, with powerful teeth and jaws; but, good `family` bats, leave babysitters with pups, greet them with kissing when return and may feed them) Vampire bat (feared, but more of a threat to livestock; only true mammal parasites and only mammals to feed only on blood; good vision (to find prey), fly quietly, have elongated thumb to help them run, walk, hop can perch on and avoid swats by prey; bite prey, remove piece of flesh, lap up blood with help of anticoagulants in saliva; feed others (must eat half bodyweight every 60 hours or starve as blood low in storable carbohydrates). (Also eg, tent bat and sucker-footed bat (doesn`t roost upside-down like other bats)

6) Conclusions
So we have seen that neotropical rainforest mammals come in a whole range of shapes and sizes, and have a variety of adaptations for exploiting every available niche in the forest be it in the rich canopy, the forest floor, the air, of the numerous waterways of the Amazon and its tributaries. What is the future of this unique mammal fauna? - humans already responsible for loss of many sp (eg giant sloth) - many hunted for fur, meat, sport - some also persecuted as pests or as threats to humans or their livestock - biggest threat = probably habitat loss and human encroachment into the forest - some sp are still abundant but many others are declining and several are endangered - many of the most charismatic species are at risk of extinction including the jaguar, giant armadillo and anteater, and the giant otter. - many others may be at risk in future as habitat loss and human encroachment means less space for them and more cinflict with and persecution by humans How can we save them? - tourism (education, increase their value to locals and governments, must be responsible though - research (including identifying the reasons for declines)

- protect the forest (National Parks etc), enforce hunting bans (eg of giant otters), educate people (eg not to kill rare species) stop human encroachment and habitat loss?! Hard, but hope it is not too late.